Business Advisory
What's happening in the business,and what to do next.
For businesses that are already operating. We help owners understand what is working, what needs attention, and which changes are worth making — then help put them in place.
Advice first. Documents where they help.
Most operational problems are not effort problems. They are structure problems — unclear responsibility, undocumented steps, and handoffs that only work when the right person is in the room. We look at how the business actually runs, say what needs attention, and help you act on it.
Still establishing the business itself? Business Formation & Structure Consulting covers entity structure, registration, and the foundation underneath a new business.
Four ways we work with operating businesses
Engagements are scoped individually. Most owners start with one priority and expand from there.
Business & Operational Advisory
Understanding what is actually happening in the business, and what deserves attention first.
Typically covers
- Business operations assessment
- Organizational structure
- Management support and priority-setting
- Roles and responsibilities
- Identifying operational gaps
- Growth readiness
When several things need attention at once, an operations assessment usually comes first so the rest can be scoped against a clear picture.
Process & Workflow Improvement
Look at how the work actually moves before deciding how it should.
Typically covers
- Current-state process review
- Process mapping and workflow analysis
- Bottleneck identification
- Handoff and approval review
- Future-state recommendations
- Implementation roadmaps
Policies, Procedures & Business Documentation
Once decisions are made, they need to be written down in a way people can follow.
Typically covers
- Standard operating procedures
- Policies and procedures
- Responsibility matrices
- Job descriptions
- Process narratives
- Operating checklists
These are possible deliverables of advisory work, not the service itself. The client remains responsible for legal, HR, classification, compensation, and employment-law review.
Financial & Business Decision Support
Turning the financial information you already have into something management can act on.
Typically covers
- Reviewing financial information behind a business decision
- Profitability and trend discussions
- Operational cash-flow considerations
- Financial-process review
- Readiness for growth or a major commitment
- Identifying the information needed before deciding
This is business advisory work. It is not investment advice or comprehensive tax strategy.
When business advisory can help
In the words most owners use when they call.
The business feels disorganized and it is hard to say where to begin
The owner is carrying too much personally
Roles and responsibilities are unclear, or work falls between them
The same problems keep recurring without a clear root cause
The business is growing but its processes have not caught up
Financial information exists but is not helping management decide anything
Workflows create delays, rework, or unnecessary steps
Management knows something needs attention but is unsure where to start
How the process works
The same path every time, so you always know where the work stands.
Understand the issue
We discuss the business, what is not working, and the outcome you are after.
Review what exists
We look at the current structure, processes, documentation, and financial information already in place.
Identify what needs attention
We name the gaps and priorities, and whether the work can be scoped directly or needs an assessment first.
Develop the agreed solution
We analyze, recommend, and produce the work products included in the approved scope.
Review and implement
You review the work, we refine it, and — where included — we support putting it into practice.
Examples of Deliverables
What you're left holding at the end of an engagement.
Final deliverables depend on the approved engagement scope.
- Advisory recommendations memo
- Business operations assessment
- Standard operating procedures
- Policies and procedures
- Process maps
- Roles and responsibilities matrices
- Organizational charts
- Implementation roadmaps
- Business-readiness checklists
Commercial Real Estate Financial Readiness
Before a business takes on a major property obligation, the numbers need to make sense.
Montgomery Advisory helps business owners review financial readiness, cash flow, records, and documentation before entering commercial real estate financing or acquisition discussions.
The question we help answer is a practical one: do the business financials and records appear organized enough to support a major commercial real estate decision — and if not, what needs attention first.
Review areas may include
- Business financial statements
- Business tax returns
- Cash flow
- Existing debt obligations
- Liquidity and reserves
- Profitability trends
- Bookkeeping readiness
- Documentation gaps
- Projected property-related costs
- Financial impact of a potential acquisition or lease
- Questions to discuss with lenders, attorneys, brokers, or other professionals
This service is business advisory work. It is not commercial loan underwriting, loan approval, mortgage approval, property appraisal, commercial brokerage, or legal advice.
Buying a home personally? Homebuyer Financial Readiness covers the individual side.
A separate service
Looking for commercial real estate representation?
Montgomery Advisory can help business owners evaluate financial readiness for a commercial real estate decision, including cash flow, financial statements, tax records, existing obligations, and other financial considerations. Real estate brokerage and property representation are separate services.
Opens meccarealty.properties — the separate website of Mecca Realty, Inc., a real estate brokerage. You are leaving Montgomery Advisory, LLC.
Real Estate Disclosure
Dr. Fatima Douglas is a Maryland-licensed real estate salesperson, License No. 668491, affiliated with Mecca Realty, Inc. Any real estate brokerage or representation services are provided separately through Mecca Realty, Inc. and are not services of Montgomery Advisory, LLC. There is no requirement that a Montgomery Advisory client work with Mecca Realty, Inc.
Montgomery Advisory, LLC provides financial education and advisory services and does not act as a mortgage lender, mortgage broker, loan originator, underwriter, appraiser, credit repair company, or law firm.
Business Advisory or Internal Audit & Controls?
They sit next to each other, and clients often need both — but they answer different questions.
Business Advisory
Organizing, documenting, and improving how work is performed.
Example: writing an accounts-payable SOP.
Internal Audit & Internal Controls
Identifying risks, designing controls, evaluating control effectiveness, and testing whether controls operate as intended.
Examples: evaluating whether payment approvals are adequately designed; testing whether approvals were consistently performed.
Related reading: Internal Audit, Internal Controls & Risk Management, Business Formation & Structure, and Financial Management for the accounting processes behind daily operations.
Frequently asked
- What if I am not sure what my business needs?
- That is common, and it is what a Business Operations Assessment is for. It gives us a clear picture of the business before a larger engagement is scoped.
- Is Business Advisory just document preparation?
- No. The service is analysis, advice, decision support, process improvement, and implementation support. SOPs, policies, process maps, and job descriptions are possible outputs of that work, not the work itself.
- Can you improve an existing process before documenting it?
- Yes. We map and evaluate how the work moves today, recommend changes, and document the process the business actually intends to run.
- Do you help implement the recommendations?
- Implementation support — rollout planning, staff orientation, management briefings, and follow-up reviews — can be included as a phase of the engagement or scoped as a follow-on.
- Do you provide legal or HR advice?
- No. We provide business, operational, accounting, and advisory support. Clients remain responsible for legal, employment-law, classification, and HR review where applicable.
- Do you approve commercial real estate financing?
- No. We help business owners review their financial readiness and documentation before financing or acquisition discussions.
Not sure where to begin? Start with the conversation.
We can help determine whether your needs can be scoped directly or whether a Business Operations Assessment is the best first step.